Cantonese roast suckling pig

Updated: April 25, 2021

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Roast suckling pig, a winner of the Chinese Golden Tripod Award, is a valuable and crucial dish at any Cantonese banquet. It has a history of more than1,400 years, as demonstrated by records that claim the dish was skillfully prepared during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581).

The dish is made following these steps: remove giblets from a suckling pig, whose net weight is about 5 kilograms; add salt and sugar to the body of the suckling pig; and roast the suckling pig on a barbecue grill.

There are two main methods to make the dish. The first one calls for the use of a gentle fire to barbecue the suckling pigs' hairless bodies, which are lightly covered in edible oil.

Meanwhile, the second method is to barbecue suckling pigs over a roaring fire and constantly spray edible oil on their bodies. This method aims to develop oil-filled bubbles in the skin and make it crispy. Crispy suckling pigs have golden skin that is filled with bubbles.

It is advisable to eat the dish with refined sugar, mille-feuille and sweet sauce.